Tag: quiz

Public Records request never answered. Why does this not surprise me?

jmacmidwife

I press on, despite the Louisiana Board of Medical Examiners best interest. I am not sure how many times this year I have stated that I cannot make this stuff up, but I really cannot make this stuff up. It is not only frustrating, but pathetic how corrupt and incompetent this group of people who are supposedly protecting the citizens of Louisiana are. Sigh. Keep writing emails. Keep complaining. The irony is I don’t think they even read their own emails nor keep track of what they said. They constantly change the rules to fulfilling these sanctions. Wonder why its taken me so long? haha. I write this email to my compliance officer, and Drs. Culotta and Cresswell. I include the doctors, because no matter how many times I tell my compliance officer, she doesn’t believe me that her calculations for the payment plan are incorrect. Ummmmmmm, I am not sure how many ways I can say do the math again. I know I am a midwife for a reason–calculus was not my best class–but I can add. Hopefully, someone else will catch her mistake and correct it…..

Dear LSBME, I was not aware that my emails have been shared so freely and unknowingly throughout the LSBME. So, I am unsure who to address this to as I have no idea who will be responding. 
As usual, I appreciate the prompt email. I have not yet digested it all, and will be communicating my questions surrounding it soon. However, you did not answer all my questions in my emails, specifically:
1. Ms. Spooner miscalculated my payment plan. I have asked her several times to revisit the numbers. She has not done this. 
2. I’ve asked for a new compliance officer be assigned to me as Ms. Spooner does not seem to be able to fulfill her job requirements competently.
3. I requested a breakdown of the costs associated with my hearing i.e. attorney fees, copies, expert witness, judge, transcriptionist/court reporter, etc. 
4. When the LSBME has spent tens of thousands of dollars on computer software and equipment, why is my test I need to take to fulfill one of my sanctions not online yet? Why can it not be emailed to me? What is taking so long? The LSBME is obstructing justice by withholding the test I need to take to fulfill sanctions. 
5. What tests do I need to have administered by a doctor in order to fulfill my psyche evaluation? I have been asking for my diagnosis for over a year and the LSBME has failed to answer my simple question. I cannot simply call a doctor and ask for a psyche evaluation. Surely the medical board understands this. I need to know what tests need to be administered in order to even consult with doctors to see if they are able to conduct a psyche evaluation. Thank you, JM

Dr.Culotta, the Executive Director, acknowledges this public records request and responds that he will have another email following in the first of the new year…. but that never happens. See February 27, 2019 when I sent Dr. Culotta a follow-up email regarding his lack of response.

Dear Ms. M, This will acknowledge your public records request and this is the first I have heard your complaints. I will begin to address them today and the formal response to the public records request will be after the first of the year. Regards, Dr. Culotta

In Dr. Culotta’s defense, he did get the ball rolling on my quiz, which only took over a year.

Hi Mrs. J, Dr. Culotta asked me to get in touch with you to assist with account setup and access to our training courses.
I attempted to contact you via your cell phone in LSBME records, but that number seems to belong to someone else.
Please feel free to call me at my direct line (504) 568-1078 at your earliest convenience.
All of our training materials are at this site: (LSBME)
Once there, you can click on the button on the bottom right of the welcome screen to create an account.
Once completed, you will receive an email with a confirmation link – please click on that link to confirm your email address.
Once confirmed, please contact me and I will manually enroll you in the quiz – this should take very little time, and you should then be able to begin immediately.

Sanction 2 fulfilled. Quiz being prepared. Quest for payment plan begins.

jmacmidwife

My compliance officer finally replied to my 5th or 6th email. The blatant obstruction of justice occurring at the hands of the LSBME is disgusting. These people are preventing me from earning any kind of living because they are taking their sweet time deciding how I can complete these sanctions, which BTW they adjudicated three and a half years ago. So, they have not prepared anything since the adjudication? Did they just not expect me to ever try and get off suspension? How is this legal? Oh, right. It isn’t. They do not have oversight and have been running amok destroying healthcare providers lives left and right.

But….. I am finally making progress, so let’s relish in that for a minute…….Ok, moving on. I am not sure if the new director is helping push my issues through the cartel which is the medical board or if the legislature is putting political pressure on them or if my compliance officer has run out of excuses. Either way, I am happy that after a year of communicating with Ms. Spooner that I will finally be receiving some straight answers. Sanction 2 is fulfilled–I needed 3 courses but took about 200. Apparently now I can prepare for the quiz for Sanction 3 even though last year Ms. Spooner told me I would have to complete Sanction 1 first. Speaking of Sanction 1, Dr. Cresswell changed Ms. Spooner’s original directive requiring me to attend a drug and alcohol treatment center for no reason. He said I could find a physician in Florida at which to have my mental/physical evaluation. And finally, I can pay my fees and fine in installments instead of one lump sum of over $17,000. Yay. Oh, wait. Ms. Spooner says I need to have the payment plan approved- even though the Director just told me to ask her to set it up? Huh. Are they not communicating? No, they are because I am ccing both of them in my emails. It is interesting that they are not on the same page. No, it isn’t interesting, its typical corruption, ineptitude, and incompetency. No one at the LSBME knows what they are doing. God save us all.

11/02/2018 Jm, The course information you have submitted will be sufficient to satisfy sanction 2 of your Order. I have contacted the Education department to prepare the Midwifery Quiz.  I will contact you when it is ready.  In the meantime, please review the rules for Licensed Midwives on our website to prepare for the quiz.  This link will take you to the rules: 

http://www.lsbme.la.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Rules/Individual%20Rules/Midwife%20Dec%202016.pdf

Thanks,ES

11/03/2018 Ms spooner,
Thank you for finally replying to my original email which was over three weeks ago. I have been patiently waiting for a decision. 
That is wonderful news to finally know that sanction 2 is fulfilled by my over 300 hrs of continuing education. 
Likewise I’m equally excited to hear that the LSBME finally decided how I can fulfill sanction 3. I’m looking forward to hearing when the quiz will be ready and taking it. 
Dr. Cresswell mentioned you’d be able to help me with a payment plan for the extortion required to fulfill sanction 1. I’m ready to set up a payment plan whenever you are. 
Finally, Dr. Cresswell had mentioned that I am not required to attend a drug and alcohol treatment center however all of the places on the list that you and dr mouton supplied in order for me to satisfy the mental/ health evaluation are indeed drug and alcohol treatment facilities. Can you give me the name of a doctor in central Florida where I can get this sanction accomplished? This is where I live and it’s burdensome for me to have to travel as I do not have an income right now because I cannot find a job with this suspension on my record. If not please tell me who can pre approve this sanction.
Thank you JM

11/7/2018 JM, The Board would have to approve a payment plan for you since it is a requirement that must be fulfilled prior to reinstatement.  If you have a physician or facility you would like to use in Florida, please submit the name and contact information so we can contact them to obtain the necessary information to determine if they can be approved.Thanks,ES

Creme brulee and quizzes

jmacmidwife

I’ll tell you one thing, I will be happier than a primip crowning when our presentations are not scheduled on quiz days.  UGH.  On top of finalizing my Power Points, which is hard for me to do, because the editor in me wants to tinker with them all night, I had to make crème Brule for my project. Right, like the last thing I need to be doing before a quiz and presentation is cooking! Well, if nothing goes well with the quiz or presentation, then at least I will be able to eat my sorrows away!  Can I make a request for next year’s students’ sanity? Please space out these quizzes or make more of them so that our huge presentations are not due on the same day!

Well, I didn’t do as well as I wanted to on this test and it has shaken my confidence a bit.  I am not overly confident to begin with, so this does not help my outward appearance at all. But should I really care what it looks like on the surface, well, yes and no.  To a motherbaby, if I had an undesirable outcome or lab result, I would want to maintain some semblance of confidence that I am holding it together and confident in the process, regardless if she is. I don’t want to look like I am all washed up and unable to cope in her eyes. She needs a leader and one who will not lose sight of the shore, despite any obstacles coming their way. But wait…was it Christopher Columbus that said, “You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore?” Hmmm. I am confusing myself now.

I still don’t understand one question on the quiz, even after researching it though.  It asked what nausea and vomiting were cause from…either increase or decrease in progesterone or estrogen.  Well, I first chose progesterone, but then switched to estrogen. I don’t know why, even now. I think I thought that moms taking progesterone for preterm labor PTL were not nauseated and that is what I went with. I can’t seem to find a definitive answer either. Most sources say the cause is unknown; however, progesterone causes a relaxing of the cardiac sphincter in the stomach and increase in acid in the stomach, being the closest to the cause.  I am beginning to think this whole thing is fixed.

Quiz and presentation

jmacmidwife

I am trying to study for this quiz. The amount of material is barely surmountable. I wonder how many questions will be one it? There cannot be many since it is only a quiz and only 25 points, plus we have to present our alternative modality findings.  All I can say is thank goodness this quiz is multiple choice.  It gives me a little wiggle room and helps prepare us for the NARM. Yeah!

I was happy to find so much information online and in texts regarding my presentation: homeopathy.  I am planning on playing the party game—Pictionary for part of it because we are supposed to add an element of creativity. However, I am a bit worried I am going overboard with the creative part and hope it fulfills the sharing in depth knowledge part of the requirements. We only have 15 minutes, which normally I would be sweating worrying about talking for that long, but adding this game seems to take much pressure off me. Balancing information and play time will be key, I believe.

I didn’t realize that Folic Acid was that important. I was glad to take that CEU credit online quiz so that I could learn more about it. I knew it prevented birth defects, but had no idea every woman of childbearing age should be taking it. However, it makes sense that they should as half of all births are unplanned.  Although the online information seemed akin to a vitamin commercial—I know a disclaimer was made and given stating no Big Pharm was involved, but…..my skepticism shines through as I see that folic acid is better absorbed than folate.  This causes alarm to me, much like giving babies vitamin K shots after birth. If we weren’t made to have it, then how have we survived this far without it and why are we messing with that? What (in our genes, environment, food, water, air, etc.) is causing a reduction or inability of us mothers to utilize this seemingly treasured resource? It goes with my theory that we don’t value death enough. Our society has become scared of dying instead of seeing it as the last step—and a noble one at that— in the cliché circle of life.

Well, I did better than I expected and it will be curved, so I think I will be doing ok.  I felt like it was a crap shoot on most questions.  Some, like the embryogenesis, I had not studied that much in depth, so I didn’t know what the answers were.  I did get the bonus questions too, which helped. Now that I know what to expect it should make the next exam easier to prepare for. I tend to over-think the questions and study way more than necessary. With so much material, it was easy this time around, not to do that, thankfully.  

I still haven’t heard from my preceptor-to-be.  Feeling a bit bummed just because I haven’t started anything yet, but also relieved that I haven’t started anything yet as I am able to get most of my work done and still be a fairly good mother on most days.  Plus, I really want to get my Wisconsin permit before I begin any clinical site so that I can ‘count’ all my moves. LOL It seems as though I have settled in and am getting familiar with the ladies in my class, which is a great thing!

My homeopathy presentation went great, too!  I felt a bit nervous speaking in front of my classmates, and I think I am sometimes hard to follow. I need to work on not putting too much information on slides. I think I am way over-thinking these PowerPoint’s, but I want to include so many of the neat facts that I am learning and I hope my classmates appreciate that. I was surprised that I stayed under my allotted time, too, but I guess when you are nervous, you talk quicker.  I enjoyed learning about the other alternative therapies also, but it was aggravating to see that some of the students did not put as much time or effort into theirs as I did in mine. A rubric would have been a helpful tool to have for this project. Plus, I can’t believe YouTube videos were included in the presentations. GAK! If we are to be professionals, then we should never have YouTube videos in our slide show. Unacceptable if you ask me. It is akin to citing Wikipedia as a source!!!